8. Jacob
8
Jacob
My feet pounded on the sidewalk as I ran through Central Park. For the middle of May, it was freezing cold, so I’d dressed in a pair of long sweats and a long-sleeved shirt. My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored the call and ran faster. The night before, Rachele kept calling my phone, so I turned it off. That morning, when I turned it back on, I had thirty missed calls. I needed to run off some of my anger. When I walked into the spacious kitchen, Lily and Kaylene were drinking coffee.
Our flight back didn’t leave until seven—we were staying late because Jared and Sasha were judging a robotics competition at Columbia. NSS had one of the top internship programs in the country, and we offered the winner of the competition a paid internship with us for the summer. Some of our best employees came out of the contests Jared judged. He had an eye for talent. Every so often, I would go with him, but I wanted to show Lily around New York.
I glanced at my fit bit. I’d run close to five miles by the time I exited Central Park near 72nd Street. Running through Central Park always amazed me. It seemed like a different world. A man playing sax in one section of my run was followed by chirping birds and the trickling of water as I ran over little bridges. Not to mention the horse-drawn carriages or the families walking and playing with their kids. I loved every aspect of the park.
When I reached the hotel, Jared and Kaylene were getting into a black SUV. Kaylene waved and smiled. My brother nodded and guided Kaylene into the car. A bellhop held the door open for me as I went into the gorgeous hotel. Kaylene always booked our trips, and she did a fantastic job finding a place we could all stay in. The price tag was outrageous, though, and sometimes it still felt strange spending more money on a one-night stay than we’d spent in the whole first year we’d lived in our apartment.
I swiped my card and selected the top floor. The doors sprang open into the beautiful penthouse, where I heard laughter coming from the living room. I stopped and grabbed a bottle of water. Sasha and Lily were sitting on the couch, laughing.
“What’s so funny?” I asked as I wiped the sweat off my brow.
Lily turned toward me with her hair down, and she had on a long-sleeved shirt and tight jeans. She was just as stunning as she’d been the night before. “Sasha was talking about the man she went home with last night.”
I rested my hip against the couch and took a sip of water.
Sasha had been working with NSS for years. Her current boss was a dumbass, and we needed to get rid of him. He’d caused an extremely high turnover rate in the department. Jax and I had talked about it, but we hadn’t pulled the plug. I needed to talk with human resources when we got back. I knew we could promote Sasha into the job, and she would do well. We knew who she was from her work.
“You went home with a man last night?” I asked.
Sasha rolled her eyes. “Yes, and before you get all alpha male and tell me how serious my actions are, Jared went to college with him.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “That doesn’t mean anything.” I pointed out the window at New York. “He could have been a serial killer.”
“I don’t think someone would pay five thousand dollars a plate then kill the person they meet at the event. Serial killers normally kidnap off the street or know the person they’re going after.”
She was right, but I didn’t want anything to happen to her. “It was still dangerous.”
“No, it wasn’t. I hooked up with Marcus Whitney.”
“Okay. Are you going to explore New York with Lily and I today?”
“Nope. Marcus and I are having lunch, and he has an appointment in Houston on Monday. I’m flying back with him. I came to grab my things.”
Marcus was a big-time real-estate investor who had indeed gone to school with my brother. Like us, he didn’t come from money. He’d made risky choices at the beginning of his career, and they’d paid off. “If you need anything, call.”
Sasha nodded.
“Now what was so funny?”
Lily and Sasha looked at each other and burst out laughing, “There are just some things you don’t tell your boss. See you on Monday.” Sasha got up, hugged Lily, and went to her room.
I finished my water. “I’m going to jump in the shower and get ready.”
“Sounds good. Tommy should be up by now, so I’m going to call and check on him while you shower.”
I leaned down and kissed Lily on the forehead before I headed to the shower.
* * *
“Oh my God, you’re right. This is the best bagel I’ve ever had.”
I took another bite of my everything bagel. “I don’t find many places that put the seasoning on the top and bottom. I like eating each side separately.”
“How did you find this place?”
The bagel shop was in East Midtown. I’d happened to stumble upon it one morning when I was heading to a meeting, and every time I went to New York, I tried to make it to the corner of 43rd and 2nd to have a bagel. “I never asked—have you been to New York before?”
The light dimmed in Lily’s eyes. She was no longer smiling as she looked out the window. “Yes.”
“I take it it wasn’t a good trip?”
Lily set her bagel down and took a swig of orange juice. “I came with my parents.”
It was the first time she’d mentioned her parents. We’d only known each other for a week, but even in her file, I didn’t see anything about them. I’d assumed her parents were dead—it was hard for me to imagine what kind of parents would let their daughter be beaten by a scumbag and not do anything. “I’m sorry if this place brings up memories of your parents. If you don’t mind me asking, when did they pass away?”
“They're not dead.” She let out a sigh. “Have you heard of the Richous Church?”
I’d heard of it, but I wasn’t sure I would consider it a church. The news articles made it seem like a radical cult. They didn’t follow the bible—they followed what their leader wanted. “Yes, I can’t remember the leader's name, though.”
“Clint Marshall is the current leader. He’s my father.”
“You used to be part of Richous Church?”
Lily took another bite of her bagel. I could tell she was buying time before telling her story. “I was about to turn eighteen when my family wanted to join. My first time with the church was in New York. We came up here to protest the court system. I didn’t understand what was going on until I had a sign pushed into my hands and was told to march up and down the sidewalk. The people we were with were extremely radical and started fights, so someone called the police. My dad and mom snuck me away before we were arrested. The next month, I found out I was pregnant. Dad thought it would hurt his and Mom’s chances of getting in. He had been a pastor for a local church but always wanted people to follow him. I wouldn’t be surprised if the last leader died at my dad’s hands and not from a heart attack.”
“Do you still talk to your parents?”
“No. I follow the reports and watch where they are. Dad’s always in the news, spouting against the government.”
I reached across the small table and grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry your parents did that.”
Lily shrugged and popped the last piece of bagel into her mouth. “You can’t pick your family.”
Her words were right, but I wouldn’t exchange my brothers for anything in the world. They meant everything to me. My mother, on the other hand, was a piece of shit. Each time I learned something about Lily, I felt a little closer to her. The woman had been through hell. I could only imagine what her life growing up with radical parents was like. “Okay, we’ve had enough gloom on this trip. What do you want to see? Henry will take us anywhere you want to go.”
Lily stood from the table and walked out to the sidewalk. Henry stood next to the car, waiting for us. She walked over to Henry and said something that had him shaking his head and looking at me.
I walked over. “What’s going on?”
“She told me to go and enjoy the city sir, she wants to ride the subway.”
“Lily, let's take the car.”
“Nope, I want to see New York like a normal person.” She turned to face me. “Have you ever ridden the subway?”
“No.”
Her face lit up. “Enjoy your day, Henry. Jacob and I are going on an adventure.”
That’s exactly what we did. First, we hit Times Square and checked out the fake Elmo and Mickey. Lily went on to tell me how the characters don’t have background checks. Anyone could put the costume on, kids walked up, and their parents took a photo with the character. A few years back, fake Elmo got arrested, and later he was put in a psych ward for being crazy.
The subway wasn’t bad—a little crowded, but we figured out our way around New York quickly. After Times Square, we headed to Chelsea Market. There were many restaurants, and we wanted to try everything. We each went our separate ways, got plates, met in the middle, and shared our food. I had to say my favorite was the fried Oreos. I was glad I’d run five miles that morning because we ate our weight in food.
When we finished stuffing ourselves, we walked down the High Line and enjoyed looking at the art and buildings. I reached over and grabbed Lily’s hand as we walked. “I still feel bad for what Rachele did last night.”
Lily smiled at the little boy passing us by. “I still can’t believe she did that. She acted like a woman scorned, Jacob. I’m not so sure you’ve seen the last of her.”
“Yeah, she’ll probably make a few more scenes, but it won’t change how I feel about her. I really like you, Lily, and I want to see where this goes when we get back to Houston.”
“I’ve got my son to think about.”
I pulled her to the side of the walkway and wrapped my arms around her. “I know your son is important to you, and I want to meet him.” I placed my finger on her mouth. “I know it’s too soon, so I’m not asking to meet him tomorrow, but I want to meet him when you’re ready. There is something between us, and I know you feel it, or you wouldn’t still be in my arms.”
“I would like you to meet him” She pressed up on her toes and kissed my lips. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her in deeper. The sounds of the city died around us. My tongue swiped across her lips, and she let me in. I don’t know how long we stood on the walkway, making out like teenagers, but when someone whistled at us as they walked by, Lily pulled back and rested her head on my shoulder. I couldn’t wait to spend more time with her.